The Shell
by SaraNomed
Summary: Set in the future after 'All Things Considered', this is the short tale of how Jane and Jeremy, the children of a certain duo, try and secure the 'perfect present' for their Mom-and all the misadventures that ensue. Poor lil' things-it looks as if they've inherited their parents tendency for things to go awry!
It was the second, loud 'clink' on her bedroom window that caused a curious Jane to get up from her desk and go investigate. Her Eevee, Mako, had already awoken and was watching curiously as his trainer went to the window and peered out it. Looking down, she spied her younger brother on the side-walk below, waving his arms. His Aipom, Poffle, was sitting on his head, mimicking his movements. Raising her eyebrow, Jane lifted the window and stuck her head out.

"Jeremy? What's going on?"

"Come on out here, sis! I need to talk to you!" the young man called back.

"Why don't you just come in the house?"

"Because I don't want Mom and Dad to hear us!"

Jane's face fell, "What did you get yourself into _now?!_ Whatever it is I am NOT covering your butt again! Not after-"

"No no no!" Jeremy protested, "It's not that! It's..I don't wanna say it too loud! Just come out here. Please?!"

He clasped his hands together and stuck out his lower lip, doing his best pleading, sad-puppy-eyes face. Jane sighed loudly and started to close the window, saying she'd be right down.

She neatly put away her drawing supplies in their proper spots in her desk before pulling on her shoes and a light sweater. Eevee, who was now wide awake, was already sitting by the door and wiggling his tail in excited anticipation. Jane smiled, bent down slightly, and Mako effortlessly hopped onto her shoulder as she went out her door.

Outside, Jeremy was walking in a small circle as he awaited his older sister. Aipom had taken his cap and was hanging by the tail from a nearby tree branch, happily swinging himself around, enjoying the lovely weather after several days of showers. The late spring morning was warm and damp from last night's rain, with water droplets still on trees and flowers sparkling in the sunlight. Finally, Jeremy heard their front door and Jane trotted out and up to him, hands on her hips.

"Okay, I'm here! What is it?"

"Okay!" he began, "Have you figured out what we're getting Mom for Mother's Day?"

Jane gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth, "That's right! It's only a couple days away and no I haven't! What are we gonna do?!"

Waving a hand, Jeremy grinned, "Fear not, dear sister, for I have the perfect idea, and know exactly where to get it!"

"What?!"

"Well, I was thinking, we outta get something really special for her. I mean, she does so much for us, and puts up with an awful lot from us too!"

"To be fair, it's mostly you and your constantly getting into trouble she has to put up with." said Jane flatly.

Jeremy bristled and glared at her, but chose not to argue about it as he continued, " _Anyway._ You know about those Corcillum shells, right? The ones that naturally form in the shape of a heart and that all the fancy-schmancy jewelry shops sell, right?"

"Oh! Right! And aren't they also super-shiny and stuff, like they're made of crystal?! Yeah I know about them!" Jane gushed, "Is that what you're thinking of getting Mom?"

"Bingo!"

Jane's smile faded, "But we can't afford to buy her one of those...and we wanted this to be a secret present from us so I don't wanna ask Dad for the money..."

Poffle jumped down from the tree at this point and placed Jeremy's cap back on his head, who grinned at his friend, then back at his sister, "Don't worry, Jane. I've got a plan!"

The young lady sighed, "I always get a bad feeling when you say that..."

As they made their way down to the city's docks, where Jeremy insisted they needed to head, he animatedly described the rest of his 'ingenious' plan. Once they arrived, they walked to the end of one of the numerous piers and Jeremy climbed onto the tall, wooden railing to hang from the top while Jane peered through the slats.

"See?" he pointed out to where several small boats were anchored a ways offshore, "There's a reef out there, and I found out that that's where they're gettin' them from. So all we have to do is go get one ourselves and boom! Operation Perfect Present is done!"

Jane folded her hands behind her back, pursing her lips, "Hmmm. That's allll we gotta do, huh?"

"Yup!" Jeremy leapt back to the ground.

"Okay then, Mr. I've-Always-Got-A-Plan; just _how_ are we going to do this? Oh, I guess we'll just grab our water Pokemon, right?"

Jeremy started to answer but stopped, his mouth hanging open slightly and eyes widening as the realization dawned on him; they had only an Aipom and an Eevee.

"Bingo..." Jame smiled dryly.

"Aaaaah! Darn it!" the boy cried in frustration, kicking the railing.

"Well...now what?" Jane wondered.

Jeremy slumped against the railing, letting his arms hang through the beams and groaned, "I dunno..."

Aipom patted his head in at attempt to cheer him up, and the young man gratefully scratched his ears in return.

Eevee pawed at Jane's leg, and she lifted him into her arms just as she overheard a loud peal of laughter mixed with splashes and chirping nearby. She turned toward the noise ans spied a young boy around her own age sitting on the end of another dock, playing with his rather large Lanturn.

An idea hit her like a bolt of lightning and she tapped her brother's arm, "Hey! Hey, maybe we could ask that kid for help?!"

Jeremy turned to look, and almost immediately, his face lit up with an ear-to-ear grin, "Sis, you're a genius! C'mon!"

Standing, the boy laughed as he dug a treat from his pocket, "That was a great workout. Good job, Lanturn! Maybe later today we can-"

"Erm, hi! Excuse us?"

He turned around to see Jane and Jeremy standing behind him, both wearing wide, overly-friendly smiles.

Uncertainly, he said, "Hi? Can I help you?"

"That's an awesome Lanturn you've got!" Jeremy said, "He looks really strong and healthy!"

"W-we can tell you take good care of him!" added Jane quickly.

The boy crossed his arms, "Thanks...but if you're looking for a battle, we're not really interested right now."

Jeremy waved his hands, "Oh, no no! No battles! Actually, we...um..."

"We were hoping you'd be willing to help us with something...unique. Oh, sorry, what's your name?"

"Barry...?"

"Barry! Nice to meet you! I'm Jane!" she gestured to her brother, "And this is my little brother, Jeremy! I know this is a lot to ask, but-"

Said little brother jumped in with, "We need to get a Corcillum shell for our Mom for Mother's Day and we have no water Pokemon to help us so we were wondering if you'd be willing to give us a hand please?"

Barry blinked, "Um...okay. Yeah, I know where you can find them."

Jane clasped her hands together and fluttered her long eyelashes, "You'll do it?! Really? You're wonderful!"

"I uh..." Barry blushed, "Y-yeah...we'll help you guys out. I understand; I know how important Mother's Day is-I made a gift for my own mom," shaking his head, trying to ignore Jane's shining green eyes he said, "We'll help you...but only if you get us one little thing."

Jeremy asked, "Cool! Okay, what?"

Barry bent down and rubbed his Lanturn's head, "My pal here's favorite treat is strawberry tarts. You bring us a couple, and we'll help you."

With a salute, Jeremy said, "Two strawberry tarts, coming right up! We'll be back soon! Don't go anywhere!"

He grabbed Jane's hand and they both took off at a run back toward town, laughing, their Pokemon easily keeping up, "This'll be a piece of cake!" he said.

"Or tart!" she giggled back.

They quickly reached the nearest bakery-and were greeted with bad news.

Shrugging, the baker said, "I'm all out of strawberry tarts. Sorry, kids."

"But-but can't you just, ya know, bake some more?!" sputtered Jeremy.

"To do that, I'd need some strawberries. And I'm fresh out of those, too."

While Jeremy sulked, Jane smiled at him, "If we go get you some, would you please make a few for us?"

Returning her grin, the baker replied, "Sure I would! Grab me a few quarts of berries and I'll give ya a couple pastries for your trouble."

"Thank you, sir!" she said, grabbing Jeremy's arm, "We'll be back!" and they ran out the door.

A short time later they arrived at the closest fruit stand...and received more bad news.

"I'm sorry you two," the vendor sighed, "But my shipment hasn't arrived yet. It's not just strawberries I'm out of; it's a lot of things! Where IS he, anyway?!"

Forcing a smile while feeling frustrated, Jeremy asked, "Is there anything we can do?"

Perking up the vendor said, "Actually, yeah, there is!" he pointed up the crowded street toward the outskirts of town, "Mr. Kelmish, my fruit supplier, always takes the same route, so if you go straight up Cherry Lane here, then Tanner Road to the outer edge of town, you should run into him. If you can help get my supplies here, I'll give you a free basket of berries as thanks! Deal?"

Perking up, the kids nodded, saying, "Deal!" in unison before taking off at a run.

"This is starting to get ridiculous..." Jane panted as they ran.

Jeremy scooped up Aipom onto his shoulder, "We got this! ...On second thought, let's just hope that this is the last thing we need to do and that Barry and Lanturn will wait for us..."

After about twenty minutes of running, then walking once they ran out of steam, they eventually ran into a man a short ways outside of the city sitting next to a large wagon full of produce. The Tauros pulling it had settled down on the ground for a nap. He opened his eyes, watching warily as the group of children and Pokemon approached.

"Excuse us, sir? Mr. Kelmish?" Jane ventured.

The man raised his straw hat and looked at them, "That's me!"

Jeremy pointed back toward the city, "Hey, you see, we kinda need you to deliver your fruit, 'cause we need some to-"

Jane jabbed him in the side, earning a scowl before taking over herself, "What he means, is that the vendors are counting on you..and um..so are we, kinda. So what's going on?"

Mr. Kelmish got to his feet and gestured at his wagon, where Jane and Jeremy could now clearly see one wheel was bent at an odd angle, "This wheel is busted. The axle broke when I hit that nasty pot-hole a ways back up the road. Without it, I can't move this wagon."

"If we can get you an axle...?" asked Jane.

The man grinned, "Then I could get to town, and I'd give you some of my produce for your help!"

Jeremy threw his hands in the air, "This is getting ridiculous! What is this, a video game?!"

"We-we'll be back as soon as we can!" said Jane as she clapped a hand over Jeremy's mouth to stop any more snide remarks he may have before dragging him away.

They got a short ways back toward the city before the boy crossed his arms and huffed, "You know...if you'd just evolved Mako into a Vaporeon back when Dad found that Water Stone, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

Eevee flattened his ears, whimpered, and darted behind Jane's leg. With an indignant gasp, Jane scooped him up and shot back, "How could you say such a thing?! Mako is just fine like he is! He can evolve if and when he wants to!"

The Eevee in question whined and buried himself in Jane's arms, at which point Jeremy's shoulders drooped and he said sadly, "You're right...sorry, Mako. Sorry, Jane. I'm just..."

He stopped walking to look out over the sea, "I know I usually mess things up somehow, but I was so sure of myself this time. I was so sure I had the perfect plan to get an awesome present for Mom and..." his head drooped, "And then this all happened. I was just hoping that for once...my plans wouldn't back-fire."

Her heart softened, Jane set Eevee on her shoulder so she could hug him , "It _is_ a great idea, Jeremy! And we'll finish your plan and get Mom that shell! Operation Perfect Present isn't over yet!"

"Thank you!" he laughed, his eyes welling up as he hugged her back, "And you're right! We'll get that shell yet!"

He held out his hand and she grasped it as they both grinned at each other, "Go team!"

Finally making it to the nearest hardware shop, they trotted in, nearly out of breath. The shop owner was leaning on the wide, polished counter-top and looked up at them curiously. A Starley dozing on it's perch next to him opened it's eyes and tilted it's head as they got closer.

"Please, please tell me you have wagon axles?!" panted Jeremy.

Sliding aside the cross-word puzzle he had been working on, the man raised an eyebrow then answered, "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"

"Yessss!" the kids cheered, high-fiving each other before Jane dug some money from her pocket and slapped it on the counter, "We'll take one, please!'

In due time, they took the axle back to Mr. Kelmish, where Jeremy used his building skills to help the man repair his wagon. In return, they were given the promised fruit, plus some extra, which they happily devoured on their way back to the bakery. Luckily, as the baker had some pastries already partially prepared they didn't have to wait long before their tarts were done. These they wrapped in paper and rushed back to the docks to Barry and Lanturn...

Who were nowhere to be seen.

"Oooh, come ON!" Jeremy kicked a nearby barrel, "This is _so_ not fair!"

"Maybe he just went to get lunch and he'll be back?" said Jane with strained hope.

Aipom suddenly leapt onto the dock railing and chattered, pointing out to the end of the pier, where they spied their friend climbing onto the dock from Lanturn's back. Taking off at a run, the group called out to him and he whirled around, then smiled and waved.

"Hey! I was starting to think you guys weren't coming back. What happened?"

Jane and Jeremy glanced at each other before sighing, "It's a long story..."

A couple hours later, the siblings were in high spirits, laughing and talking excitedly as they headed home. Jeremy clutched their prize to his chest as they discussed how they were going to wrap it. He pulled it away to study it again-a large, heart-shaped shell, shimmering with a rainbow iridescence in the late afternoon sun.

"This is awesome! Everything we went through today was worth it!" he grinned.

Jane clapped her hands, "It'll be even more worth it when Mom sees it! Now let's hurry back! I'm starving!"

"Amen!"

They were nearly to their door when Jeremy turned and said, "I've got some ribbon saved from my Christmas presents we can use to-aaah!"

He cried out as his toe hit a loose rock and he stumbled, flailing his arms, the shell falling from his hands. Jane screamed and dove for it, her fingers brushing it-but she was just a hair too late, and it slipped from her grasp and hit the ground with a heart-breaking crack, shattering into several pieces.

They sat on the ground, frozen in utter horror, staring at the broken, glittering shards before them. Jeremy was the first to find his voice.

"No...no no no no no!" he started to sob, "Not now! Not w-when we're th-this close...arrrgh!" he covered his face, " _I really do ruin everything!_ "

He reached out and hugged Jane tightly, who embraced him back as she buried her face in his plum-colored hair and wept herself, "No, you don't! It was an accident, a-and I should have c-caught it and-now what are we gonna do?!" she finally broke down.

Their Pokemon stood by, watching helplessly as their trainers lamented their loss.

Eevee gingerly poked at one of the pieces with his paw and glanced at Aipom, _"_ Eee, eev-eee? _-Is there anything we can do?"_ he wondered.

 _"Not unless we've got a time machine or something."_ quipped the simian Pokemon.

Eevee started to nuzzle Jane's leg, then pricked his ears, _"I'll be right back!"_ he said with determination and bounding away, wriggled through his little 'doggy door' and darted into the house.

Jane lifted a few of the gleaming pieces and sniffed, "Maybe...we can make a mosaic or something..?"

"I guess," Jeremy wiped his sleeve across his face and picked up the remaining pieces, "I don't know what else we could-"

"Kids?!"

They quickly turned as Eevee came running back to them, James right on the small Pokemon's heels, "What's going on? Is anyone hurt?"

They got to their feet, still holding their now-broken prize, and Jane began, "Hi, Dad. No, we're fine..."

Jeremy held out his hands, "But Mom's present sure isn't..."

After heading inside, the group settled at the kitchen table and the kids explained their story. As they spoke, James carefully tried to reassemble their hard-earned shell.

When they finished he marveled, "You went through all that to get a gift for your Mom?"

They nodded, Jeremy grumbling, "But it was all for nothing, now..."

"Not necessarily," James declared, and they looked up at him curiously as he cupped his hands around their shell, "All the pieces are here. With some super-glue and some patience, it can be repaired. If you'd like, I can help you put it back together. You know I'm pretty good at fixing things."

Their faces lit up, "Really?!"

"Of course! I mean-"

He was cut off as the kids, laughing and chattering happily, ran around the table and threw themselves on him in a group hug. The force was so great they ended up knocking their father backwards and all ended up toppling to the floor, where they shared a good laugh before sitting back up.

Her tears now of joy, Jane hugged him tightly and said, "Thank you Dad! We love you!"

"You're the best!" added Jeremy.

James felt his own eyes water, and he hugged them back, saying, "Thanks guys. I love you too. Now let's get this thing fixed up!"

A couple days later, after serving mom a lovely, if a tad over-cooked, breakfast in bed, the entire family was gathered in the living room to give her her gifts.

Jessie beamed as she studied her treasures; a tiny, real rose preserved in resin and accented with gold from James (that Inkay had helped choose, he added), a purse, hand-knit a bit roughly but lovingly by Wobbuffet and Gourgeist and filled with coins, bottle-caps and marbles Meowth had collected.

"I really _am_ the queen today!" she giggled.

"And there's one more thing..." Jane said, holding a ribbon-wrapped package behind her back.

At her signal, her and Jeremy presented it with a flourish and a 'ta-da!' Jessie took it and raised an eyebrow at the odd shape and very light weight.

"What's this , now?"

"Open it and see!" Jeremy practically wriggled with excitement.

She did so with a gasp of delight as the paper fell away, "Is this-one of those Corcillum shells?! It IS! Oh, thank you, you two!"

"We knew you'd love it!" said Jane proudly. She caught her brother's eye and they silently agreed; it had definitely all been worth it.

Suddenly, Jessie turned the shell to one side and ran a finger along it, "Is that a crack?" she wondered aloud, "It is! Well that's not good."

Meowth peered closer, "Yep, dat ting's got a few of 'em!"

Jane felt her heart skip a beat, trying to fight the tears she felt welling up and Jeremy couldn't conceal his horrified expression. James bit his lip, wondering if he should, or even could, say anything.

Looking up, Jessie saw her children's faces and asked, "What's wrong? It's not your fault you were sold faulty merchandise. We'll just go return it and-"

Losing her composure, Jane broke down in tears, "B-but Mom! It IS our fault!"

"Actually it's mine!" Jeremy chimed in, his own tears falling, "I was the one who dropped it 'cause I wasn't paying attention and you always tell me I need to pay attention but I didn't and-"

"And we can't return it! W-we didn't buy it!"

Jessie's eyes widened and she glanced at James, who nervously smiled back at her and she whispered, "Oh please tell me they didn't inherit our sticky fingers..."

The lavender-haired man waved his hands, "No no no! What happened is-"

Taking deep breaths, the kids spilled out their entire story is one long, back-and-forth, tear-filled ramble, including how they had dropped it and how their dad had helped with repairs. After they had finished, Jessie sat quietly for several moments before she spoke again, gently clutching the shell to her chest.

"...You did all that just to get me this?"

They nodded miserably, Jane wiping her eyes, "But it doesn't matter, because now it's broken and you can still tell."

"We tried, but we messed up..." sighed Jeremy, hanging his head.

Jessie glanced at her husband, and James smiled sadly back at her. They couldn't help but remember all the times that they too, had tried their hardest but still failed.

Setting the shell down, Jessie gathered her children in her arms and kissed their foreheads, "You know what? It's still beautiful, and I still love it. Just as important, maybe even more so, is what came along with it."

Jane tilted her head, "What?"

"All the trouble you two went through, all the things you had to do to get it. Knowing that you went to such lengths to get me something means just as much, if not more than the thing itself. On top of that," she smiled dryly, "You two managed to cooperate for an entire day. That's a rare treasure on it's own."

They grinned, their hearts now at ease, "We love you Mom!" said Jane.

"Hey!" Jeremy added, "I've got another present idea! How's about we promise to try and not fight as much?"

He turned to his sister and held out his hand, "For Mom?"

"For Mom!" giggled Jane, shaking it.

Jessie sighed with relief as James put his arms around her shoulders with his own laugh, "Now there's a gift!"

-END


End file.
